Pregnant women are now eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine, after a decision to include them as a priority group in phase 1B of the rollout.
It means regardless of how old a woman is, or how far along she is in her pregnancy, she can now book in to get a jab.
Doctors were told about the change to the official advice on Thursday night.
"All pregnant women, regardless of their stage of pregnancy and whether they are eligible for other reasons or not, can access their vaccine through primary care channels," the Department of Health's Lucas de Toca told a Senate committee on Friday afternoon.
Last month the country's expert vaccine group, ATAGI, and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) officially recommended that pregnant women be offered the vaccine at any stage of their pregnancy.
But pregnant women under the age of 40 have struggled to access the vaccine because most were ineligible under the federal government's vaccine strategy.
In the information sent to doctors on Thursday night, the federal government said all pregnant women were now "immediately eligible for a Pfizer" vaccine.
"Pregnant women with COVID-19 have an increased risk of severe illness and adverse pregnancy outcomes," the information sheet said.
"COVID-19 during pregnancy also increases the risk of complications for the baby."
New data influenced decision
It also said that if a pregnant woman had received a first dose of AstraZeneca, they could receive a second dose of either it or Pfizer, "although Pfizer is preferred".
ATAGI co-chair Dr Allen Cheng said the decision to include the group in phase 1B was not made earlier because there was not enough data about the safety of the vaccine on women and their unborn children.
"The consideration early on was that before large numbers of pregnant women had been given the vaccine there was some uncertainty on the risks and benefits in that context," he told the committee.
In a statement, RANZCOG said it welcomed the decision.
"We recognise that these decisions are complex, which is why we have worked closely with the Government, and we are pleased that they have responded to the medical advice," RANZCOG president Dr Vijay Roach said.
"Pregnant women should be considered a vulnerable group. We don't want to see any pregnant woman severely ill, or in the ICU, as a result of this disease.
"While vaccination doesn't eliminate the risk, it reduces it considerably and we are confident in our advice that the Pfizer vaccination is safe for pregnant women and their babies."
RANZCOG and the government both recommend any pregnant women considering getting the vaccine speak to their medical provider beforehand.
